Review: Big Booty Bread Co.

Posted on February 21, 2010 by kymarie13

On my way to my first S Factor I stumbled upon a bakery called Big Booty Bread Co. How can you not go in with a name like that? As soon as I walked in I was hooked by just the smell, everything smelled so good!

“Opened in 2005, Rojas’ twist on a traditional Colombian panadería has become a destination for American classics like red velvet cupcakes and a discovery zone for customers who’ve never tried Latino classics like pan dulce (sweet bread) or pan de maíz (corn bread). The real appeal started when customers realized that his family’s traditional recipes for yucca and corn breads had a very modern appeal — they are naturally wheat-free.”

Jose Rojas used to work on Wallstreet but with some convincing from his friends and family he opened his own bakery. I asked how the name came to be and they told me “That the older sister thought it would be funny”. This is a family owned bakery, not only does it have bakery items but they also offer sandwiches, smoothies,  and empanadas. One of my favorite things I got there was my t-shirt! Haha it was so funny I couldn’t pass it up and it was American apparel. My blueberry scone was pretty amazing too! If you would like to go check it out, Big Booty Bread Co. is located at 261 West 23rd Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues.

Image from Big Booty Bread Co.

Filed under: Nutrition/Restaurants | Tagged: , , , , | 4 Comments »

Review: Tully’s Gluten Free Bakery

Posted on February 8, 2010 by kymarie13

Tully’s Gluten Free Bakery is located in the East Village on 11th Street, between 2nd and 1st Ave. It is very easy to get to from L (1st Ave) or 6 Trains (Astor Place). Tully received her diagnosis of gluten intolerance in July of 2008, she immediately didn’t know how she was going to live without Baked goods in her life. She went to many gluten-free bakeries but nothing ever tasted the same. “So she started Tully’s Bakery to create gluten-free baked goods that taste just as delicious as products containing wheat. After experimenting with different blends of flours in her kitchen at home, she finally came up with recipes for cookies, brownies and cupcakes that everyone can enjoy. She decided to pursue her passion for cooking after graduating from SMU when she attended culinary school at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin, TX. From there, she took an internship at Gramercy Tavern, and has lived in New York City ever since.”

Tully’s Bakery had their Grand Opening today and I knew I had to try it out. Tully’s Bakery was a short walk from where I worked. The store itself was very nice, very bright and clean. Her staff were extremely helpful. I decided to try a little of everything. Right now she offers a variety of cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and muffins. I tried:

Mini Cupcakes (3 for $3.50) :

All the Cupcakes were very moist which I was surprised by. None of them crumbled and they tasted very similar to any regular cupcakes I have had. Subtle difference but not huge, overall I really enjoy her cupcakes.

  • Chocolate cake with Chocolate Icing- Very chocolately but really good (one of my favorites)
  • Chocolate cake with Peanut Butter Icing- Very good, if you love peanut butter you will love this one
  • Red Velvet cake with Vanilla Cream Cheese Icing- Really moist, much better than the Red Velvet at Babycakes
  • Vanilla cake with Chocolate Icing- This was my least favorite, it was good the frosting was just very rich
  • Vanilla cake with Strawberry Cream Cheese Icing- The frosting is amazing!

Cookies ($2.75):

  • Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chip (Vegan)- does not taste like a normal chocolate chip cookie, good but not my favorite
  • Oatmeal, Cranberry, White & Semi-Sweet Chocolate chips- I liked this one better than the Chocolate Chip

Brownies ($2.75):

Both Brownies were great! Either one would be a good choice.

  • Dark Chocolate Brownies
  • Vegan Brownie

Muffin ($2.50):

  • Banana- to die for, her muffins are so good!

If you can’t make it to the bakery she also sells her products online. These products are not the healthiest thing in the world it is just like eating a regular cupcake but the products do not contain any Gluten. If you can’t eat gluten I highly suggest Tully’s Gluten Free Bakery. All of her products are moist and taste like any other cupcake or brownie just gluten-free.

Some Images from Tully’s.

Filed under: Nutrition/Restaurants | Tagged: , , , | 2 Comments »

Review: Babycakes Bakery

Posted on January 23, 2010 by kymarie13

“In a city dominated by cupcakes overflowing with sugar, flour and butter cream, it’s easy for those with persnickety diets to feel left out. BabyCakes offers all-natural, organic and delicious alternatives free from the common allergens: wheat, gluten, dairy, casein and eggs. Rest assured, all sweeteners have been chosen responsibly and used sparingly. White sugar will never be found in our bakery, nor will we ever use toxic chemical sweeteners. Instead, most products are sweetened with agave nectar—a natural syrup from a cactus which is low on the glycemia index and often a safe alternative to most non-insulin dependant diabetics. Occasionally, unprocessed and unrefined sugar is used in certain goods, although sparingly.”

-Erin McKenna, Founder of BabyCakes NYC™

Yes that’s right you can still enjoy sweets and feel a little less guilty. My step mother had told me about this Bakery because she swears by their cookbook and for my Birthday last Friday she told me I had to stop by and get a treat. Babycakes Bakery is located in Soho on Broome Street between Orchard and Ludlow. It was a pretty easy walk from work but it wasn’t too easy to find. You can take the B or D subway and get off at Grand Street. Once I got there I was so excited to try everything. It is a very small Bakery but smells delicious! The staff was very friendly and helped me pick out a lot of good choices. This is what I ended up getting:

  • Carrot Cupcake (Pretty Good)
  • Brownie Cupcake (Amazing!)
  • Red Velvet Cupcake ( A little disappointing, they said it was a favorite but it was very dry)
  • Hostess Cupcake (My favorite cupcake with the Brownie cupcake coming in second)
  • Chocolate Chip Cookie (Amazing!)
  • Mini Apple Cinnamon Muffin (Amazing!)
  • Mini Brownie sweetened with Agave (Amazing, if you have never had anything sweetened with Agave you really need to try it, it is actually very good and a healthy alternative)

Overall I was really pleased with my experience, their pastries were amazing, the staff was so friendly and helpful. They knew everything about the ingredients and answered any crazy questions I had. The only problem I had was the location, it was a little out of the way and hard to get to but other than that I was really happy.

If you want a healthy alternative to sweets this is the way to go. They only have one location in New York but they offer a delivery service. They also have one location in Los Angeles that just opened. For more information or to look at all the goodies go to www.babycakesnyc.com.

Filed under: Nutrition/Restaurants | Tagged: , , , , | 3 Comments »

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    Hello! My name is Kristine and I live and work in New York City. Since I have been here I have realized how hard it is to maintain a healthy balance while living in the City. Work starts to consume your life and you can get lost in everything around you.

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